Fire Forge Companions
by BataNotAlpha
Summary: Takes place from during ME2. After returning from the dead Jane Shepard beings to assemble a team to put a stop to the Collectors. Along the way she comes across a mysterious young man named Rigg who is a long way from home, and is looking for a way back. Mostly from the point of view of FemShep, and some from the other crew members. Some what of a crossover.
1. I

Summary: Takes place from during ME2. After returning from the dead Jane Shepard beings to assemble a team to put a stop to the Collectors. Along the way she comes across a mysterious young man named Rigg who is a long way from home, and is looking for a way back. Mostly from the point of view of FemShep, and some from the other crew members. Shepard, and other crew, romances up for vote.

* * *

I- An Unexpected New Team Member

"This is strange. It's almost as if their weapons were yanked out of their hands, and they seem to still be alive."

Commander Shepard stood in a hallway in Omega. Besides her stood Kasumi, and the recently recruited Zaeed. Before them laid the bodies of four thugs. Their weapons were neatly laid out in a straight line several feet from them, and their chests were slowly, but steadily rising and falling, indicating that they still breathing.

After taking care of the whole Archangel ordeal taken cared of Shepard left Mordin back on the Normandy to treat Garrus's wounds. She one of Aria's men, Bray, had told her of rumors of a human had showed up, seemingly out of nowhere, around the same time as the Vorcha carried out their intended genocide on the citizens of Omega. No one had seen him before, and he didn't came aboard any ship to had landed on Omega, at least not one that was reported to Aria.

That gang of Vorcha were working for the Collectors, and since the Collectors were connected to the Reapers, well it was just too coincidentally for Shepard to brush it off.

"You don't think this has anything to do with our mystery man, do you Shep? I mean sure it just seems so obvious that they are connected. . . but I can't see how they would be connected. I mean Omega is full of shady characters, and this is place where you found three of your crew members. Who knows maybe there is something else going on here that we don't know about yet. Like another vigilante who took on the mantle of Night Angel, and is just building up his reputation."

At that last sentence Shepard and Zead turned her attention towards the young Japanese(?) woman and couldn't help, but to raise an eyebrow.

"Or, you know, maybe it's something else."

"Well at least the trip to the Collector's base isn't going to be dull. I just hope you don't have any of those pretentious "by the book" type of guys. UGH, I hate those guys. "

Funny how Shepard had been one of "those guys" some years back. Her time in the military, and the time she spent as Spectre thought her that you can't always get results by going by 'the book', and sometimes that meant not being able to save someone, or preventing a tragedy. Not to say that she was now a renegade who gave the 'book' the middle finger every time she got the chance to do so. After all laws were necessary to hold society together, it was just a matter of interpreting when they got in the way, and when it was ok to ignore them.

"Let's go. Our trail has gone cold, and we have no more leads, besides Mordin should have Garrus all fixed up by now. I'll leave some other crew members behind to investigate the mystery of the unknown-man. For now we have spare time to spend here."

"Hmh. . . what about those guys." Kasumi pointed a half raised finger at the unconsciousness criminals while her other hand behind her back and posing a questionable look at Shepard.

"What about them?" Shepard then turn to leave the alley.

* * *

As they returned to the Normandy they found a man waiting for them at the port. At least he seemed human. He was cover clock dirty, faded, green cloak. The hood hid the top of his head, while the rest was covered by the neck guard. Only his eyes, some skin around them, and some strands of hair were left uncovered. His shape was humanoid, and his skin color indicated that he was a human.

"No way. This is too convenient." Thought Jane Shepard as the man turned his attention towards them and approached them.

"You must be Commander Shepard."

"How do you know that?"

"Aria told me you would be a redhead woman with a scared face, and that you would be accompanied by two others. And she also told me where to find your ship, so I just waited."

Ok, now this was really just too convenient for them. "Aria? She told you where to find me? Why?"

"I had to accomplish a task for her. But do not misunderstand. It was not you in specific that I was intensely after. I was looking for something else, of someone could help me. Aria told me that someone could be you."

"First of all, are you colonist?"

"No. And if you are wondering how I got here it's a long story. I will tell you the details later, but for now I can give you the shorten version, after all I don't expect you to welcome a stranger on to your ship without weighing the risks." He took in a long breath, and exhaled.

"As ridiculous as they may sound: I come from another galaxy far away from here. There was an accident, of which detail I myself I'm still unsure of. And so I was flung here. If you are wondering why we speak the same language despite being from different corners of the universe that have not until now even been aware of each others existence, it's because of this." He took out a small golden cylinder from under his cloak.

"It's a Teaching Tool. It's used to instantly learn things such as language, and cooking, from sampling anything from an original source. At least that's the best way I can translate the explanation to human English. Ït also seems like you too carry some kind of language translators, so there was need for me to learn more the one. Plus it's pretty taxing to the brain to learn more than one language in a single day this way."

"You seem a little too eager to tell us something like that, when we might not believe it."

"There is no lie I could have told without raising questions I could not answer."

"What made Aria think I could help you?"

"She said were planning to go through something called the Omega Relay. From what I gather that could have something do with my current predicament. I can not return home on my own. Whatever your mission I will assist you to the best of my abilities. Since before my birth my place in my world was decided, and so I was taught the skills I would need to care out my things that would be needed of me. You will find many of skills to be of use to you."

"What mission did you have do for Aria?"

"To get rid of some upcoming crime lord who was planning on rooting himself here. Aria didn't like it, but she could not take direct action against him, or else she would have looked weak, threatened by someone who should be beneath her."

"Did you leave any of his men alive?"

"Only some young punks who are of no real threat to anyone. You probably came across their bodies, and are wondering about them. From what the I understand from the Teaching Tool you have something similar here, called Biotics. It's not the same, but similar. I will demonstrate my abilities if you wish."

"You seem too willing to give away information like that."

"Like I said, there is no point in lying to you. Too much trouble."

"I say let the kid show us a trick and see he is worth it. Besides it could be fun to have him around." Said Kasumi in a little too eager tone.

"Are you crazy woman, this guy is too suspicious. I say let's just tie him up, and let the illusive man deal with him."

Shepard seemed to consider it for a second. "Alright. Show me something." His story was really too ridiculous, but if it was set up by the collectors, they would have come up with a more believable back-story. And after all, there were better ways about going about something like this. It was simply too sloppy and silly to be a trap made by either the Collectors or the Reapers.

Before any of them knew it all their weapons seemed to have fallen of their holsters. "What the . . ." And when they instinctively turned around they were gone. By the time they turned around they felt added weight to their bodies, and found their weapons back in their place.

"I can distort and manipulate 'space'. It's limited, but useful."

Well, Collectors certainly can't do THAT, otherwise they would have had them back on Horizon.

"Right, well what sound we call you?"

"Rigg Sessamekesh. Rigg will be fine. Should I take that as I yes?" Shepard wore she could see him smile behind that piece of cloth.

"Not sure what good I can be, but I will arrange for you to have resources to find a way back. I will take you on a mission or two to see your actual skills thou."

"Thank you commander. I will not disappoint you."

And so it was that prince Rigg Sessamekes of the planet Garden from an alternate universe came to be under the, temporal, service of commander Jane Shepard on her quest to stop the Collectors, rescue the kidnapped colonists, and save the universe from giant bio-mechanical demi-gods.

* * *

AN: Rigg is the protagonist of the Pathfinder series. A master of rhetoric, physics, zoology, and politics. He can assume different personalities to accomplish his goal. And will do all that is in his power to protect his subject, and those he comes to call friends. However, no matter he trust a person he will always withheld some information, twist the truth, and keep a hidden ace just in case. His sister, Param Sissaminka, is the current queen. If you haven't read these books, no worries, more about his backstory will come later.


	2. II

**II-Sunburn**

Rigg still wasn't completely used to the Normandy and it crew. He was surrounded by strangers, and had to rely on their aid. And from the look of things it not everyone on the Normandy were necessary pleased with who their benefactor was. Rigg was sure was that many of them were hidden something about their pasts. Not that there was anything wrong with that. After all everyone has the right to keep their secrets, especially from those who you don't completely trust.

Rigg was still puzzled by the events that had lead him hear, and even more by where here was. Rigg had seen human from Earth before, he had interacted with them, visited the Milky Way. But it wasn't anything like this. Was he in an alternate universe? That seemed to be the most obvious explanation. In Rigg's universe there were no Reapers, Mass Effect Relays, or Prothians. or any of these other alien races for that matter.

Was it that in his universe whatever ever came to be the Reapers, and the other aliens never evolved into sapience? For what reason? Had they all just died off before achieving space travel?

Another difference were the humans. Both batches of humans seemed to be on the same level of technology. The humans in Rigg's universe had simply learned to make the most of it. They had so much more ambition. At least that what Rigg believed at first. He later found out that these humans had reached their current level of technology by discovering ancient alien technology. That was not at all the case back home. So what else could have been different that lead to such different versions of humanity? So many question, so little to work with.

The young prince was thinking about all of this while he was seemly wondering around the Normandy. There was still so much to become familiar with. He was also trying to ignore the fact that a certain young Asian woman was following him. She was invisible of course, otherwise there would have been no point in following him around this long without speaking up.

Shepard might have order her to keep an eye on him, but there most of have been better ways of keeping him in cheek than this. And why only him? Shepard was, in a way, in the lion's den. If she was really this distrustful she would have had some way of keeping an eye on Miranda, or Jacob. And she wouldn't shared so much with that Yeoman.

He could not think of any reason as to why Kasumi would be doing this. She could have crush on him, but that would be ridicules. They barely knew each other, and she was well past that age. What was worse was that he could not voice his discontent, or question her actions without revealing a side to his ability that he rather keep hidden from the Normandy crew for now.

Which is why he was heading to the medic bay. "Surely she would get bored and leave me alone if all I was doing was having a long, and explicit conversation about the different races, history, and culture of the Milky Way with Mordin." He seemed to be that type of man, and even if wasn't he could still give him a hefty lesson on the Salarians.

However, Rigg soon came to know just how quirk, and entertaining, Mordin could be. And in the end Rigg forgot all out his stalker, and instead enjoyed himself. Kasumi also had a good morning. She recorded their conversation, and consider uploading it to the Enternet, but changed her mind when she realized Rigg would find out about her following him.

* * *

Later that day the Normandy at the Dholen System. There mission was to try to recruit a Quarian named Tali, who was apparently an old friend of Shepard. Shepard had decided to take Garrus and Rigg with her.

For Shepard it was an obvious choice. Just being directly exposed to the sun for a couple of minutes would overload their shields, and it would only take an hour after that to die. If they came another attack Garrus's sniper skills would be very useful. As for Rigg, he had already explained that his ability only worked on non-organic targets. And since this was Geth territory, well it was no brainier. Plus she wanted to see what he could really do in a mission

Rigg was given a spare gun from the armory, as well as a shield. Even though he didn't show it he was very nervous. He had been taught how to shoot a gun, but he was no expert marksmen. And he never had to kill someone with one, that he never killed anyone before all of this. He just had other, more efficient, way of doing so. But he would have to reveal the true nature and limits of his ability to do so. For now that was something he wasn't willing to do.

One of Riggs abilities, the one he found the most useful, was being able to 'see' (more like being able to feel that they were there) the paths that individuals have taken in the past and was able to distinguish them from each other by their age, and species. That's how he knew that Kasumi was following him; he could feel her path tracing behind him. It gave him near Omniscience of his surroundings. However it only worked on organics. Machines didn't leave any Paths.

* * *

_"Well, this can't be good."_

Even before the shuttle landed Rigg could tell that there had been was a fight going on. There were a lot of dead Quarians. they all. From the way the Paths of the living Quarians had stopped moving they were still making their stand against their enemies.

* * *

Sorry to you all (all four of you) for the short chapter. I'll upload the full version next week, along with (hopefully) chapter 3. I'm pretty bad at actions scenes, so it takes me longer to write them. I also I have some other stuff to do, and there didn't seem to be a reason to hold on this this part of the chapter for a week, so there you go.

More dialogue, and Shepard POV next time.


End file.
